By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Philippine Azkals Under-23 team began their 2022 AFF Youth Championship campaign with a 2-2 draw against Timor Leste held at the Techo National Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Azkals’ Ivan Ouano played his best game as a member of the U-23 national team after scoring all two goals for the Philippines that helped them avoid an early 0-1 hole in the group standings.
It was Timor Leste who immediately struck from the get-go as their midfielder Mouzinho Barreto de Lima got rewarded with an early penalty freebie which he converted in the sixth minute of the game.
The opposing team continued with their high-octane offense but the young Azkals squad were resilient on defense that negated the Timor Leste attempts.
With one minute left before the closing time in the first half, Ouano found the back of the net to tie the match at 1-1.
It didn’t take long for Timor Leste to get back the lead as they scored one more goal in the 55th-minute mark courtesy of their defender Jaimito Soares.
The action-packed back and forth affair didn’t stop there as Ouano once again de1ivered for the Azkals and concluded his brace performance seven minutes after the Timor Leste conversion.
Timor Leste continued to pressure the ball and drove down Azkals’ backline defense but goalkeeper Quinci Kammeraad held the last line for the Philippines, saving them from defeat.
The Azkals will have a much-deserved break for the meantime and will return to the pitch tomorrow as they battle the home bets Cambodia.
